A car accident scene can be chaotic. There are people everywhere, emergency services descending on the area, and potentially injured parties. With such chaos in one area, it’s easy to lose yourself in the moment and forget what you were taught to do immediately after a car accident. However, you’re not alone. Even those with a firm grasp of the law make some of the following mistakes:
If you’re involved in a car accident, you might leap out of the vehicle and thank your lucky stars that you’re 100% okay. However, there are numerous reasons you may not be okay, and many law firms see this play out time again.
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In the minutes after a car accident, adrenaline can mask serious injuries. It’s sometimes not until the scene quiets down that you may find yourself with pain, disorientation, fogginess, or any number of alarming symptoms that signal something more severe.
Downplaying or failing to acknowledge your injuries can have a significant impact in two ways. It can prevent you from accessing the health care you need to start the healing process, and it may make insurance companies and liable parties doubt you were ever hurt in the first place. Even if you believe your safe car prevented injury, seek medical care to rule out serious damage and provide a paper trail for any court cases.
Even though insurance companies can save you money with competitive premiums, it’s only natural for them to want to save themselves money, as well. They may do this by asking as many questions as possible to piece together what happened and settle quickly. While you can give your insurance company basic information about when and where the accident happened and the number of vehicles involved, refrain from offering anything else. Instead, talk to personal injury lawyers. These attorneys can communicate with insurance companies on your behalf.
After being involved in a car accident, one of the biggest mistakes you can make is admitting fault. While many people, such as insurance companies, emergency services, and witnesses, likely have a lot of questions, answer them carefully. Keep a clear head, even though you might be upset about the accident and the damage to your pride and joy. Avoid saying things like, ‘I’m sorry,’ ‘I didn’t see you,’ and ‘I tried to slow down or stop.’ These simple statements could be enough to impact a personal injury claim.
If you were injured in a car accident and decided to file a personal injury claim, your success may depend on how much evidence you gathered. As heartbreaking as it can be to take photos of damage to your once-perfect-looking vehicle, it’s an integral part of the evidence-gathering process. It’s also crucial to get witness statements and contact information, photos of your injuries and the scene, and emergency services reports. The more information you have, the stronger your personal injury case may be.
Even if you don’t think you’ll ever be involved in a vehicle accident, that doesn’t mean it won’t happen. The more you know about the most common mistakes to make at an accident scene, the better the position you may be in to avoid them if the worst should occur.
